What is the difference between preplanned prostate implants and real-time prostate implants?
The majority of physicians performing prostate seed implants in the United States do so using a preplanned procedure. Patients having a preplanned prostate seed implant procedure have a special ultrasound scan performed days to weeks before the actual seed implant is performed. Your Radiation Oncologist and Urologist then determine the areas of the prostate and surrounding structures that need to be treated, as well as those that need to be protected. The Radiation Physicist or Dosimetrist then enters this information into a treatment-planning computer. A plan is formulated that optimizes the seed placement for your prostate. An order is then placed for the number of seeds needed for your prostate implant, at a precise radioactive strength per seed. The Urologist and Radiation Oncologist then follow the preplan in the operating room and perform the procedure as it was designed. Of course, the situation is often slightly different during the operation than at the time of the preplanning
Related Questions
- Why do prostate seed implants cause less damage to the normal body tissues such as the rectum and bladder than external beam radiation therapy?
- How long ago did doctors start performing prostate seed implants as treatment for prostate cancer?
- What is the difference between preplanned prostate implants and real-time prostate implants?
